Maybe we need more Amar’e in the room. (Get it? Because it sounds like amore, the Italian word for love? Like the song? You see what I did there?)

Amar’e Stoudemire is making the promotional circuit, and as we told you this morning, brought up the prospect of a players’ league being formed if the players lost the season. But he’s also optimistic, as this NBCSports.com video shows.

There’s a level of calm, rational discourse in Stoudemire’s comments that’s kind of refreshing. This lockout has been led by personalities like Dan Gilbert, Robert Sarver, and Kevin Garnett. Maybe it’s time for a few more Stoudemires in the room. Both sides want a deal. Both sides want games. Dialing back on the outrage and pumping up the reason might be the best way to get us there.

Side note: You notice how all of these players are only commenting when they have something they’re selling? With Dwyane Wade it was court grip, followed by his outburst at David Stern. Now Stoudemire while selling shoes. Steve Nash is the only one who’s really out there talking about the issues independently.

That’s a fine sentiment. Saying it publicly is another matter. Not even Harden did that a couple years ago. He was recorded during a pregame team huddle.

There’s a fine line between self-fulfilling confidence and providing bulletin-board material to the opponent. There’s already some animosity between the teams stemming from the Stephen Curry-Harden MVP race in 2015, and it has bubbled since. No matter how harmless Capela’s remark might have been intended to be, it’ll be met contentiously in the Bay Area.

Oklahoma City traded for Victor Oladipo out of Orlando to be their third scorer, behind Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. It didn’t exactly work out that way, Durant bolted town and when Westbrook went off Oladipo was looking for a place to fit in.

That place turned out to be the Pacers.

Oladipo has been playing like an All-Star this season with Indiana, and last week he was key in snapping Cleveland’s 13 game win streak, then turned around and dropped 47 points on Denver. For the week he averaged 35.7 points a game, shot 45.7 percent from three, plus grabbed 7.7 rebounds per game.